Mswati III

Mswati III, byname Ngwenyama Mswati III Dlamini, (born April 19, 1968, Manzini, Swaz.), member of the Swazi royal family who became king of Swaziland in 1986.

Born to King Sobhuza II and one of his wives, Ntombi Twala, he was given the title of Prince Makhosetive (King of All Nations). The young prince was one of more than 60 sons that Sobhuza had with his many wives. Makhosetive received his early schooling in Swaziland and was later sent abroad to Sherborne School in Dorset, Eng., to continue his education.

Makhosetive was 14 years old when his father died in 1982, and a regency was established to rule Swaziland until Makhosetive could ascend the throne upon his 21st birthday. A power struggle within the royal family, however, led to Makhosetive taking the crown when he was 18, making him the youngest world leader at that time. His coronation was held on April 25, 1986. On that day he took the name King Mswati III and also married the first of several wives.

Despite his youth, Mswati was quick to consolidate his power. Within a month of his coronation, he dissolved the Liqoqo, the king’s traditional advisory board that had become the most powerful body in the country since his father’s death and thus was regarded as a threat. He appointed a new prime minister and reshuffled the cabinet, giving two of his brothers important portfolios.

Mswati spent many of the early years of his reign bolstering the monarchy. His rule was autocratic and rife with corruption and excess. His penchant for a luxurious lifestyle for himself and his increasing number of wives and children became infamous and was a source of public discontent. Indeed, by his 40th birthday Mswati had taken more than a dozen wives, and their opulent lifestyles were in sharp contrast to the lives of most Swazis.

In 2001 Mswati attempted to placate calls for democratic reform by appointing a committee to draft a new constitution. The draft, finally released in 2003, allowed the king to retain absolute governing powers and banned opposition parties; it was widely criticized for its lack of democratic reforms. In 2005 Mswati signed a revised version that neither banned political parties nor acknowledged their existence; it went into effect the next year.